Remain In Christ

As the last few years of the millennium have drawn to a close, our nation has seen an incredible surge of interest in biblical prophecy. Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins co-authored a highly successful book series called "Left Behind" which combines fictional stories and Biblical teaching to present a scenario of the end times. The success of this series drove many other Bible teachers and Hollywood filmmakers to produce similar works on the prophetic word found in the Bible, particularly the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation.

In all these books and movies, perhaps one character, shrouded in mystery and intrigue, stands out -- the antichrist. There have been different ways of portraying antichrist yet the end result is the same. One who is full of evil, totally against God and His Christ. Strange, is it not, that even Christians show incredible interest in one so evil.
In the book of 1 John, the Apostle John presents a warning regarding antichrist. Rather than describing a specific person who rises as the world leader, John warns of many antichrists who are in the world to blaspheme God and deny Christ as LORD. The warning for Christians is to beware of those would deny that Jesus is the Christ.

Scripture Passage: 1 John 2:18-27

Main Thought:
The way for the Christian to avoid being deceived by the spirit of antichrist in the world is to hold fast to the teaching of Scripture regarding Jesus Christ, affirmed by the Holy Spirit who indwells you.

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:18-19, NIV)

1. The church is composed of those in the body of Christ who hold a common confession of essential Christian doctrine. Those who leave the body demonstrate that they were never a part of the body of Christ.

Nearly two thousand years after the Apostle John penned this statement about "the last hour" (1 John 2:18, NIV), we can be reasonably sure he was not talking about the next 60 minute interval of time. No, this is the last time, the last age in which we will exist in this form. The future holds the promise of a millennial kingdom free from the curse on creation where lion and lamb shall lie down together (Isaiah 11:6). But this is the time for us, the stakes are high, and the need is great. "Today is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2, NIV) must rule our priority and mission.

There is one called antichrist who will one day rule this world in the time of the Great Tribulation. The term "antichrist" means against Christ and all that He stands for including His mission, message, and kingdom. John writes that "the antichrist is coming" speaking of a specific one. Yet even today, there is a spirit of antichrist John references later in 1 John 4:3. This spirit of antichrist consists of so-called "truths" proposed and propositioned by people who are against Christ and His will. John saw in the first century what we see in the world today.

In the first century church, several groups left the apostolic church including the "circumcision" group which wanted to impose Judaism and Mosaic Law on all Christians, and the "gnostics" who denied the humanity of Jesus Christ. Today, we have seen a number of groups who similarly left the Christian church to found their own religion, calling the Christian church "apostate." The Mormon church got its start this way. So did the Jehovah's Witnesses. One could also point out the "Moonies." I believe it will not be long before a formal split takes place with the prosperity gospel teachers (Health & Wealth teachers) who have already concluded that those who hold to the historic Christian faith are their enemies!

What does all this mean? Because of the proliferation of antichrist in the world -- and distribution is at an all-time high through door-to-door, books, music, television, movies, videos, internet, email -- we know that this is the last hour, the last age for this form of existence. The longer it goes, the closer to the end we find ourselves. Many who promote antichrist start out in the church. But they do not remain because they do not belong to Christ. This is how you recognize such people -- they do not love the truth of Scripture. In 1 & 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul makes a similar warning:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons... (1 Tim. 4:1, NKJV)
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Tim. 4:3-4, NKJV)

If such people cannot successfully marginalize or destroy the faithful teaching of God's word in a local church, they will go elsewhere.

Those who belong to Christ cling to His revealed truth. It goes down soothing to the soul for there it meets agreement with the Spirit of God. Since He inspired and guided the writing of Scripture, He readily affirms in your heart the teachings of those who proclaim and teach God's word.

Is this how it is in your heart? If so, then rejoice in the personal relationship you obviously have with the LORD Jesus Christ! If not, perhaps you need to consider whether you have a genuine, personal relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist -- he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:20-23, NIV)

2. You can be sure that Jesus is the Christ because the Holy Spirit confirms the testimony of Scripture concerning prophetic fulfillment in His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is neither a Christian nor one who even knows God.

As John points out, all Christians are "anointed" with the Holy Spirit ("the Holy One") and, therefore, all Christians know the truth -- the truth about Jesus Christ. John's writing to them was not because they did not know the truth (and, hence, were not Christians) but because they did know Jesus Christ. John wanted to warn them of what was happening.

Is one a liar who denies that which he does not know about? No, the one John speaks of here is one who has heard the gospel and rejected Jesus Christ. In spite of the testimony of God's word and the reality of resurrected LORD Jesus, such a person rejects Jesus as the Christ for various reasons:

It would alter their religious tradition.
It might adjust their priorities.
It limit the "freedom" to sin.

John labels those who knowingly reject Jesus as the Christ as the "antichrist," those on the same side as Satan himself. John reaffirms this strong condemnation of those who knowingly reject Christ -- you cannot know God without knowing His Son.

At this point, consider some of the people you know -- maybe you work with them, maybe they work for a vendor you use at work or home, maybe they live next door, maybe their son or daughter plays on a sports team with your child. Do they trust in the LORD Jesus Christ or simply affirm, "Oh, I believe in God." Christians need to wake up to the reality that these seemingly good, seemingly religious people are at a dangerous precipice called eternity. Many may not have heard the gospel or heard it clearly enough or often enough. It's one thing to reject what you do not know (this is not the one John is writing about) but quite another to reject something of which you have full knowledge. Let us not be found guilty of withholding the keys to the kingdom of heaven!

Still, an awful lot of people try very hard to be good. An awful lot of people try very hard to do the right thing. A great number of people try to practice some form of religion but reject the truth that Jesus is the Christ. Christians must come under the conviction shared by John here that Jesus is THE Christ, the only way to the Father, and all the goodness and religious fervor one can muster will never be enough to satisfy God's demand for righteousness. That is why we need Jesus Christ -- He is "the righteousness of God" (Rom. 3:21; 2 Cor. 5:21) -- God's solution for the righteousness we cannot attain on our own. This one point then is a defining mark for all people -- those who have a personal relationship with God and those who do not. Deny the Son and you deny God. Acknowledge the Son and you acknowledge God also.

What the Bible says at this point may seem a bit brash, bold, and uncomfortable: Christians must be intolerant. We generally hate that designation but there is a time when it is necessary. We must be intolerant of those who deny the deity and messiahship of the LORD Jesus. Such a person is not a Christian and cannot have fellowship with us. We must be intolerant of false teaching such as this. Yes, we must love people as Jesus loved us (John 13:34). But the kind of love God showed to us is a very narrow love which revealed the truth to us and expects us to love the truth. Got Jesus?

24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us -- even eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit -- just as it has taught you, remain in him. (1 John 2:24-27, NIV)

3. Christians will stay strong against the spirit of antichrist in the world by sticking close to Jesus Christ our LORD. This involves remembering what you have learned in Scripture and following the Holy Spirit in applying God's word to your life.

The Bible says that in order to remain (abide, stay close to) in Christ we must hold onto the truth we have been taught: "just as it has taught you, remain in him" (1 John 2:27, NIV). You can know the truth and hold on to it because you have the Holy Spirit ("his anointing") indwelling you as a believer in Christ (Eph. 1:13-14). Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6) and to be close to Him we must affirm and live His truth. He is not speaking of traditions you have learned as a child or young adult but the truth of the gospel which you heard and responded to by faith. Here are some things you need to do (and continue to do) to remain in Christ as intended by 1 John:

Hold on to the truth of Scripture taught to you by preachers and teachers of the Word.
Test the teaching your hear with what you find in Scripture. Study the Bible to show yourself approved before God, a workman of the Bible who does not need to be ashamed (2 Tim. 2:15).
Study as best you can study the Bible on your own (don't be discouraged if it is hard for you -- some people are better readers than others, some are better independent learners than others. This does NOT make you stupid or inferior in the least, just different).
Seek those who will challenge you with the truth from God's word and challenge you to live for Christ each day. Don't expect a Bible teacher to preach a nice, peaceful passage of Scripture and say, "Was that not a wonderful verse?" Rather, expect the Bible teacher to say, "So what does it mean to me, and you? How does it work? How do you and I need to respond to this text?"

Learning the truth and living the truth go hand in hand. As you continue in what you learned by living it out each day, you find your relationship with God becomes more real, more vital, and more necessary to your very existence. John puts it in down-to-earth terms for us. You will know the Son and His Father also.

For a related discussion of 1 John 2:27, see the article Do Christians Need Bible Teachers?.

The word of God is truth (John 17:17) we can count on and use everyday. The certain hope of the believer in Jesus Christ is the eternal life He Himself promised us and demonstrated to us by His resurrection from the dead. He is faithful to deliver on His promises. And it was Jesus Christ who said, "He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24, NIV). Some will try to take away your hope by various means of twisting Scripture (another form of antichrist). If you can hold a noose over someone's head, it can be a means of motivation and manipulation. Some try to do this in regard to your security in Christ insisting that "eternal" does not mean forever and that you can lose it if you do not follow their guidelines. Here eternal certainly does mean forever and that is what Jesus Christ promised to those who believe in Him.

So the command is to remain in Christ. We are to abide in His truth and in His Holy Spirit whom God poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our LORD (Titus 3:6). Bottom line here is this: walk with God and you will never be lost. Walk in the truth He has revealed in Scripture and affirmed to you by His Spirit and you will have sure footing in life.

Reflect on YOUR Life:

Loving the LORD Jesus Christ means loving His truth. Those who exhibit the spirit of antichrist are those who walk away from His revealed truth in the Bible. They do not love His truth but, instead, try to redefine it, rewrite it, or just ignore it. Do you love the truth of Jesus Christ our LORD? Are you willing to accept His word when it is proclaimed and taught, even when that word means you must make some changes in your life? It is at this point that many people become offended and say, "That preacher has gone from preachin' to meddlin'!" God's word does that to us. For those who love the truth, even the hard changes we must make because of what God commands will ultimately be joyful changes for our souls. Abide in Christ by loving His truth!